Leslie was a garden designer and gardener who was hired by the Inn in October 2001 to restore the gardens so that the charm and ambiance of the interior of the Inn would extend to the exterior.

Part of that restoration has been to renovate the grounds so that they can be enjoyed by guests on a day-to-day basis, and also can be used for weddings, reunions, retreats and other special events.

Leslie employed organic gardening methods, and relied on nature to keep things in balance as much as possible -- with good results.

There are many different varieties of plants throughout the grounds, with a heavy emphasis on perennials, annuals that reseed themselves, and plants native to California, the western U.S., and other temperate climates in general, and to the central coast in particular.

Leslie used plants that are unusual and beautiful and that work well with the existing and surrounding landscape and architecture of the Inn.

Leslie died this last year - a great loss to us all. Our Olallieberry Inn garden in named in honor of her and remains a testament to her love for plants, people, and is a celebration of creating beautiful places to just simply be.